Life's Quests

Storm

2009-12-15T18:24:00.007+08:00

Many a time, I feel this song so much...

Storm (Lifehouse)
How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread
With these waves crashing over my head

If I could just see You
Everything would be all right
If I'd see You
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And You will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into Your eyes
I know everything will be alright
I know everything is alright

I know You didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Cause I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see You
Everything would be all right
If I'd see You
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And You will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into Your eyes
And everything will be alright

And I will walk on water
You will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into Your eyes
I know everything will be alright
I know everthing is alright

Everything is alright
Everything is alright

Matthew 14:25-33 (New International Version)

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Jazz go Bathing...

2009-12-14T17:14:00.004+08:00

Hubby got a coupon for a free car wash. SO, last weekend, we bought our Jazz for a splish-splash for the VERY FIRST TIME. Yes, she's very, very, very, very, very dirty, sticky and dusty. Ewww....

Hubby think there's a spider living somewhere outside of the car. There're webs everywhere, around the number plate and the side mirrors.

A fine clear day for a bath. I think our coupon entitled us for a Wash Max, priced AUD 13.90 x 3.2 = RM 44.48!!! Yes, I am still converting :P

Must read instructions clearly.

Entering the car-wash-machine...

Instructions, reiterated. Windows all wind-up, checked. Aerials lowered, checked. Side mirrors closed, checked. Driver not panicking, checked.

Here I goooo....

Splish-splash!! Here comes the water!!

Detergent...

And the rollersss... It's really fun watching the rollers cleaning the car (n_n)/

End product: One clean car. Two happy customers. And hopefully, a DEAD spider !

I Saw Mr. Santa Claus...

2009-12-14T17:11:00.003+08:00

Santa stuck in someone's chimney...

Christmas Festival

2009-12-07T13:17:00.005+08:00

Some weekends ago, a Christmas Festival was held in our suburb. The main road was closed to make way for food, rides, and even animals...

Th Beatles came and performed (n_n)/ They were really good! Had the audience jumping to the front and dancing all the way, through songs like Help!, A Hard Day's Night, Twist & Shout, Love Me Do, and so on. They had cute wigs too :)

A butterfly (or a fly or dragonfly) came out and play!!

Weeee.... rides for the kids...

There're many colourful stores setup too. I think this store is selling girlie accessories.

Thomas the train is also in town, fetching kids round and round.

Some games...

Another amusement game for kids...

This really smells good. Pork, beef and lamb souvlaki (Greek wrapped food). Really wanted to try this, but the queue is reaaaaallllyy loooooong...

Malaysia food!! Go go Malaysia! The lotus rice is good. But the char-siew-bao is just so-so.

Farm animals. They're very tame and domestic. They seem unafraid of humans (and pesking petting kids).

More farm animals... fluffy chickens, pigs, lambs, sheeps, goats, cows (yes, there's one happily sleeping in the corner), deer, rabbits, etc...

Deer hungry. Deer see camera. Deer want eat camera...

Space shuttle to the universe! All rides are free (n_n)/

Grow, Basil, Grow

2009-10-25T19:51:00.002+08:00

The little basil I bought (n_n)/

Mega Adidas Shopping

2009-10-25T16:46:00.006+08:00

My colleague forwarded me an email on Adidas warehouse sale. From the looks of the brochure, it seems to be a good bargain. AUD 3 for socks, AUD 5 for shirts, AUD 20 for jackets, AUD40 for shoes, and so on. Not bad...

So, hubby and I decided to have a look.

The sales started at about 9 am. And we reached there about 10 am. And GOSH, cars are parked till the end of the road. Some are even parked on the grass areas!!

It was held at Adidas headquarters office. They kinda transformed their basement carpark into a super big lelong market.

As we walked towards the Adidas building, we saw many people, who're done with their shopping and walking back to their cars, with boxes and boxes and bags and bags of Adidas items! It really got us excited!! I want to get a new jacket!! I could buy my brother some shirts!!

This was really an eye-opener for us. Really, really an eye opener... I never really had experienced kiasuness until this very day...

Ta-da! Their office basement carpark transformed into a lelong market. No racks or tables to display their items. Just boxes and boxes of stuff. You have to really dig into the boxes to find stuff.

Planning to shop alot and need a trolley? Use a cardboard box instead!! When we got in, the Adidas staff greeted us and directed us here to grab our "shopping trolley".

This is an example of a "shopping trolley" filled with items. As you can see, they're no different from the any box laid on the floor. There're many times when we're browsing around some boxes, and then someone behind came over and said "Excuse me, those are mine". Oppss... sorry :P

Clothes. Jackets. Sweaters. Pants. Shorts. Etc. Bermacam-macam pun ada. BUT... mostly in XL or XXL sizes. And the designs are kinda same. Though it's cheap, it's not really something I'll be interested in. Besides, I can't fit any of them. Still, I wonder why their "shopping trolleys" are so full. Oh, I saw a few shoppers getting 3 or 4 of the SAME item. Big family? Early Christmas shopping? (@_@)''''

SHOES!! Well, at least the shoes are nice. They even have the Stella McCartney range! Woo hoo... But, too bad, they have only size US 7 and above.

The cashier counters... people buying in bulk. Huge, big bulk!

Oh ya, in case you're wondering. Yes, we did get something...

*ahem*

Two pair of socks for me, and a water bottle for him. I think we spent less than AUD 10. And we're the only one came out without a bag or a box.

The Answer to the Curious...

2009-10-09T15:09:00.001+08:00

Ever since hubby and I started our life in Melbourne, we get many questions from curious friends and family. How is it like there? Is there chinese food? How is the weather like? Is working life more balance? Etc etc etc...

Of so many questions of the curious I received, this is the one I get most frequent...

"Are there durians in Melbourne????"

Well, to answer your question, I'll just let the pictures do the taking.

Ta-da!! Durians on sale. Imported all the way from Thailand. Not so sure it's cheaper than M'sia. It was on sale in an air-conditioned supermarket, i.e. Woolsworth (Jusco/Carrefour/Tesco equivalent). And there's no smell at all. So, from the display saying "Ripe when fruit exudes a strong smell", I think it's not ripe yet.

Ta-da!! Durians nicely wrapped individually.

Durians are heaty. So get some coconut drink!

I want to...

2009-10-09T07:38:00.006+08:00

Dance like no one's watching.
Sing like no one's listening.
Work like I don't need the money.
Love like I've never been hurt before.
Live like there's no tomorrow.

and...

Eat like I'll not gain any weight (n_n)/

Life's too big, too fun, too beautiful.
Why should I stay idle, silent, or bitter?

Oh Lord, open my eyes to this world You created.
And let me savour every moment, every presence, every where.

And proclaim aloud from the bottom of my heart,
That it is very, very good.

Genesis 1: 31 (emphasis italics, mine)
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.

Christmas Already?

2009-10-03T09:00:00.004+08:00

We were at Chadstone (huge shopping mall!!) one weekend for some grocery + homeware + window shopping. Myer was having mid-season sale and we're looking for some towels and manchester. So, we thought, why not have a look in Myer as well?

Oh ya, FYI, Myer is like Metrojaya/Parkson/Isetan in M'sia. Their items are slightly on the pricey side. But you can get really good bargains during their sale. Sometimes, their sales prices are equal or even lower than Target or Kmart...

Oh ya, FYI (again), Target or Kmart or Big-W are like Jusco in Malaysia.

Where was I? Oh ya, Myer's sale...

Lo and behold, guess what was on sale?

...

Christmas items!!!

Actually, we're not that surprised anymore. We realised that sale is a culture here in Melbourne. Pre-season sales. In-season sales. Post-season sales. They never seem to end...

And, at the very edge of winter (read: before winter was over), shops everywhere are having SUMMER sales. *ahem* Have people here forgotten that there's a season in between winter and summer, called SPRING?

So, right now, even when the weather is still so cold and windy (we still do get single digit temperature!), bikinis and swimwear are on sale everywhere! And people everywhere are preparing their body to fit into those sexy, skimpy bikini (for female) and those triangular-shaped, underwear-lookalike swimming trunk (for male).

More people jogging in the park and even along the busy streets in the city (yes, imagine jogging along Jalan Tun Razak). More people hitting the gym. People taking fruits and salads for meals. Slimming and lose-weight programs advertised everywhere. Guys trying to divide their united, singular-pack into six.

People here really work hard for summer.

Anyway... back to the sales...

I see, I see a Christmas tree... What month is this?

I see, I see another Christmas tree...

A chubby and cute Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) statue.... Yes, hubby? ... Ohh... It's not Gandalf?? It's Santa Claus????

Cute kangaroo celebrating Christmas!

On the Way to Church

2009-10-02T08:47:00.001+08:00

A view on the way to church on a sunny Sunday...

On the Way Home...

2009-10-01T08:50:00.003+08:00

On the way home one fine day. Can't help but to snap this photo.

Broadband Internet

2009-09-23T12:27:00.006+08:00

Now that we have our own unit, we applied broadband internet so we can surf the net at home. Hubby can also ~~“snake”~~ work at home.

I think we have, like, 80 Gig a month (or something like that) – 40 Gig for off-peak hours and another 40 Gig for peak hours.

After a week or two, hubby looked at me with a somehow sad expression and sighed.

“Dear,” he sighed, “I think we’re overpaying the subscription and under-utilising the broadband.”

“Oh, really?” I questioned. It’s not so surprising to me, actually. I don’t go online at home. I don’t even want to open my notebook at home. My notebook shall sit quietly in my Hennley’s notebook bag (yes, she loaned it to me), in the corner of the room. I’ve been facing the notebook the whole 8-working-hours, and I’m not going to face it after work.

Yes... NOT even Facebook can tempt me...

I am DETERMINED!!

I am INVINCIBLE!!

Bwahahaha....

“Dear,” my hubby sighed again, “will you PLEASE make good use of the bandwidth? Else, I think we need to consider another subscription plan.”

Ah... my hubby is pleading me. How can I ignore his sorrowful cry for my help?

“Ok dearest, I’ll try my very best” I promised him.

And indeed, I fulfilled my promise to the maximum. I heed his cry. I noticed the pointless waste. And I stood in between the gaps... of the unused bandwidth...

And thus, I started my journey to redeem the lost ... and the unused bandwidth...

...

...

...

I started streaming Korean dramas.

In the beginning, I streamed 1-2 episodes per night. The drama is really very interesting. Then, I streamed 2-3 episodes per night. And then, 3-4 episodes per night. I usually sleep before midnight. These days, I’ve been sleeping at 1 AM. I’m almost finished with one drama, and already planning which drama to watch next. Oh, and I’m kinda watching two dramas together. My motivation to go home after work is to watch Korean dramas!

YES! I saved the day!

And then, suddenly... one fine day...

“Dear,” my hubby sighed again, “I think you’re over-using the bandwidth. At the rate you’re going, I think we’ll be out of bandwidth before the end of the month”.

(@_@)'''

But, I thought I saved the day?!?!?!

Ok ok, I get it. MODERATION. Nowadays, I do watch my beloved Korean dramas. But with moderation. Hope this discipline lasts (n_n)/

...

HOWEVER, for those who are interested in watching dramas / movies... Cantonese, Japanese or Korean, head to the link here and feast yourself! They have a good and big selections of dramas / movies.

http://www.mysoju.com

My Girl - I know, it's kinda old and 8TV aired it about 1-2 years ago. But I missed it. All thanks to my wonderful workaholic personality (and my work that feeds my workaholicsm). Love the storyline. Love the characters. Love them all!

Boys Over Flowers - Korean version of the Japanese manga "Hana Yori Dango". A LOT better than the Taiwanese version "Meteor Garden". Cuter boys and girls. Though I don't really like those scenes in the drama where the characters just stared at each other/play around/having fun/looking sad/thinking/etc., with some catchy/sad/romantic background music, for a very very very looooong time. Fast forward!

Happy Father's Day (Aussie Version)

2009-09-06T18:26:00.003+08:00

Today, in Australia, is Father's Day.

HAPPIE FATHER'S DAY !!

And BIGGEST HAPPIE FATHER'S DAY to the Father of all fathers, King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

He Knows My Name (I Have A Maker)
by Paul Baloche

Verse 1:
I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

Verse 2:
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

Chorus:
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

Interesting Experience in Melb: A Not So Ang-Mo Life

2009-09-05T17:41:00.001+08:00

All my life, I have not visited any countries except for Malaysia (home-country), Singapore (how modern Malaysia would look like in Lego world) and Thailand (somewhat like a non-Malay/Chinese/Indian-speaking Malaysia).

Basically, I have never gone out of Malaysia, or her lovely influences.

Melbourne, Australia...

When hubby told me that we're going there, I pictured us staying in a foreign land filled with western influences and surrounded by fair-skins, blond hairs and blue eyes. I pictured an ang-mo life in Melbourne...

It's been 2-3 months now since we first arrived. And to my surprise, life here is not as ang-mo as I thought.

I pictured myself eating corn flakes, milk, sunny-side-up eggs for breakfasts.
I drink Milo for breakfast. The Milo here is A LOT tastier!! More chocolatie and not so sweet!! And yes, I can finished up a 1.25 kg Milo in 3 weeks! Ok ok, I'm denying the fact. I actaully finished it in 2 weeks.

I pictured myself eating sandwiches and pasta for lunches.
People here seldom go out for lunches. Usually, some would pack their own lunches. And some would just eat whatever they can find in the pantry. My office pantry has frozen expired bread (yes, FROZEN & EXPIRED since July), peanut butter and fruits. So, they'll make peanut-butter-banana-sandwiches (@_@)... I usually cook more the night before and pack some for my lunch the next day. It's usually chinese food - rice, stir-fry vege and meat.

I pictured myself preparing whole chicken to be roasted for dinner.
Well, this is kinda true. My kitchen is equipped with an oven. And I just looooove experimenting new dishes with it (n_n)/ I've tried making roast chicken, baked fish, baked potatoes + pumpkins + vege, etc etc etc, and the latest, TANDOORI chicken!

I pictured myself surrounded by blond-hairs and blue-eyes.
There's soooooooo many Indians & Asians around. Sometimes, I don't think I'm in Australia.

I pictured myself to be shorter than average girls.
*ahem* I am taller than I thought :P Ya man, I'm proud of my height.

I pictured a world with less shopping malls and less people in the malls
Till I found Chadstone and Southland. Super big, mega-mall. Packed with billiooooons of people. OK, billions is a bit exaggerating. But there's so much people!

I pictured myself having a hard time finding Asian food and ingredients
In the area where I'm living, there's about 2-3 Thai restaurants, 1 Malaysian restaurant, 4-5 Korean/Japanese, and somewhat a few more Asian restaurants... and then there's 3-4 Asian grocery shops (opened by Chinese and Koreans), 1 Indian grocery shop, and 2-3 Asian mini-markets. If you're looking for authentic Asian stuff (like, the classic blue-red china plastic bag, paper tang lung, penyapu lidi, bright pink laundary basin with a classic flower print at the bottom, etc.), you can find them here.

Oh ya... speaking of Asian grocery items, I took some pictures of some interesting items I found :)

Is mooncake festival coming???

Lotsa lotsa mooncakes in so many flavours.

I found A1 Bah-Kut-Teh!

Lotsa Asian sauces and spices. Lotsa Lee Kum Kee stuff too...

Traditional, classic penyapu :)

I wished I took more photos. But people in the shop were looking at me as though I just came out of prison. Haha...

Beautiful Sunset

2009-09-04T18:49:00.000+08:00

Ahhh... beautiful sunset...
What a view to end a working day (n_n)/

Twee Dee, Twee Bee, Boo

2009-09-01T10:45:00.002+08:00

Twee dee, twee bee, boo,
A little bird singing in blue.

She can sing, oh yes, she can,
Though not as grand as the rest in her clan.

Her voice cracks once in a while,
Like a frog or even a bull when riled.

But she’s learning, and trying her best,
Though, every now and then, she would rather rest.

Learning is undeniably ever so tiring,
Moreover, often enough, rather discouraging.

Not good enough? A pounding ponder,
Ridiculing the mind to the corner.

Work-in-progress, a reason or a good excuse?
Regardless which, it’s not a joke to be let loose.

And thus, in her nest she laid, a day or two,
Then out she came, recovering from the flu.

Twee dee, twee bee, boo,
The little bird sang out all her blues.

Everything (Lifehouse)

2009-08-29T17:07:00.006+08:00

Again, I listened to the song,
Many times, I watched the video.
It never fail to bring tears to my eyes,
Warmth to my heart,
Yearning to my soul.
It's those words from the song.
My heart said, I know those words.
My soul exclaimed, I wrote them all.
Yes, the whole of me cried,
"How can I stand here with You, and not be moved by You..."

Everything (by Lifehouse)

Lyrics
Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose... You're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Yet Another Visit to the Library

2009-08-29T09:19:00.006+08:00

I feel that I didn't do the library justice (see: A Visit to the Library). So, I deliberately visit the library again JUST to take photos :P

The library outside. There's even a small playground for the kids.

The view inside the library. Nice, neat, warm and comfy :)

Books, books and more books...

Magazines!!

CDs

See, I told you that books can talk :P

MANGA!!!! My favourite section!!! YAY!!

Interesting Things Found in Melb: Super Cili Pedas Sampai Mati

2009-08-29T08:18:00.006+08:00

On the Friday of my first week of working, I decided to join 2 of my colleagues for lunch. I thought it'll be nice to take some initiatives to bond with them.

They bought me to a Mexican restaurant call Mexicali Rose. But it's not the great yummy food that awed us the most. And, no, not the colourful interior of the restaurant.

It was the SPECIAL chili sauce they're selling...

Super duper HOT & SPICY chili sauce...

So HOT, they called it the "Death Sauce".

Don't believe me?

*ahem*

There's a few level of "deaths", i.e.: Original, After Death, Sudden Death, Mega Death, Death Rain, Ultra Death, etc.

Pure Death. I heard this one is the latest addition.

Closer look. I no like scary skull face (=,=)

Ingredients... super chilies and their seeds. No wonder it's so hot.

Oh ya, they even have a website.

For more information, visit www.deathsauce.com.au

In case you're wondering... no, I didn't purchase any of them... and no, I didn't bother to try to taste either :P

Interesting Experience in Melb: Talking like Them

2009-08-22T08:36:00.007+08:00

After some time, I began to realise, Aussies have their own slang too.

This is how they usually talk:

AAA: How is it going, mate?
BBB: Not too bad, not too bad. Yourself?
AAA: Not too bad myself.
BBB: Where you're heading to?
AAA: Aiiii am going to the Maccas (pronounce: Mec-kes). Feel like getting myself ayyeeee burger.
BBB: Beautiful!
AAA: Ye, ye. They have fantastic burgers. Would you like to join me?
BBB: Nah. Aiii'll skip. You go ahead and enjoy.
AAA: No worries.
BBB: Alrighty. Cheers.
AAA: Cheers.

Let me try to translate that into Malaysian.

AAA: Wei... Hoo mou? (English: How are you?)
BBB: Hoooo. Sek joh mei? (English: Good. Eat already?)
AAA: Wanna go Mac-Dee eat burger. You want?
BBB: Dunwan lar.
AAA: Ok lar. Bai-bai.
BBB: Bai-bai.

Note to those trying to speak like them:

When starting a conversation, always ask how's the person's day is.

When replying a "How are you" question, always say "Not too bad" TWICE. Followed by a question back to the other person, e.g.: "Yourself?"

Use adjectives like "beautiful", "lovely" or "wonderful".

Drag the "a" longer. E.g.: "It's a lovely day." >> "It's ayyyyeee lovely day."

When giving respond or agreeing, say "ye" AT LEAST twice.

When giving compliments, say things like "You're a star!".

To say "alright", say "alrighty".

To say "no problem", say "no worries".

End the conversation with "Cheers" or "No worries".

Me? To them, I speak like an American. All thanks to their biggest import to Malaysia - Entertainment.

TV dramas. Movies. Reality shows. Music.

Love them or hate them, they teach us Eng-rish.

A Visit to the Library

2009-08-14T21:07:00.008+08:00

After moving our our new place, we found out that there's a library nearby. So, one fine afternoon (yes, I WAS still unemployed. Note: past tense :P), I decided to pay the library a warm visit.

Lo and behold, the library was fantastic! It's modern. It's cozy. It's spacious. The staff are friendly. It has almost everything.

Yes, almost everything a library should have... including...

Modern computers (WITH LCD monitors) for resource searching. Easy to use search features.

Magazines - from food, automobile, cycling, fashion, lifestyle, etc. ... and even those 888 (read Cantonese: paht-paht-paht) magazine featuring Hollywood tabloids! Get your up-to-date news on Brangelina here :P

Fictions - Lotsa lotsa them. Teenage novels. Romance novels. Chick-flicks. Murder and crime. Fantasy novels. Etc.

Non-fictions - Books on travelling, cooking, automobile, religion, etc etc etc

Non-English books - Err... don't really know what language they are, but I think they're some Russian and Greek books around.

DVDs - Ya man! Watch movie for FREE at home...

CDs - Oldies, Pop, R&B, Hip hop, etc...

Books that talk - I mean, audible books. Why read when someone can do it for you?

Graphic novels - There's a section labelled "Graphic Novels". Curious of what that means, I went to have a look. And surprise, surprise! The library have MANGA / COMIC. Hehe. I spent most of my time in this section.

Internet - Yes, they have a section that looks like a cyber-cafe. But you have to book the time slot at least one day in advance.

Useful facilities - Including child care center, story-telling center, discussion rooms, playground (outside of the library), and so on.

Sweeeeeet....

Happily, I signed myself up as a member. And even borrowed a few books.

Car magazine - For my hubby dearest :)

Cook books (Asian & Mediterranean) - Feel like cooking Paella and Ratatouille this week!

Fictions - Some easy reading for my train/tram ride to work.

Moving

2009-08-14T20:05:00.006+08:00

Yes! We're moving to our own unit. We rented a one-bedroom unit in a suburb about 20 minutes from CBD.

And moving was TOUGH! Especially since we "collected" so much stuff from the day we came to Melbourne. We carried stuff and went down (via lift) to our car, and up to the apartment, and then carried more stuff and went down to out car, and then up again, and down, and up... Ugh... I think my biceps and leg muscles are building up!

And thank God for our own mini pickup truck! Yup, I said it correctly. MINI PICK-UP TRUCK. We realised that our lovely Jazz is not really a hatchback car. You just drop the back passenger seats, and VOILA, it transformed into a mini-pickup truck!

I forgot to take a picture of it. This picture is courtesy from www.wheels24.co.za. Empty view.

Full and stuffed-like-sardine-can view. Hubby can hardly see the back via the rear mirror. Super dangerous!

Side view. The car is really stuffed to the max! And also, I had 3 or 4 super heavy items on my lap. For a moment, I think my blood stopped flowing to my toes.

It was a very, very, very dangerous drive. So, we drove very, very, very slowly.

And, prayed very, very, very hard not to be stopped by police...

...

Ya, I know, what a thing to pray...

Anyway, we reached our unit safely! Thank God!

Here we go again. Carry our stuff up to our unit (this time, we have to climb a fleet of STAIRS), and then down to our car to carry more stuff up, and down, and up, and down... More biceps and legs muscles and staminaaaaa!

Ta-da! Home sweet home!

Look at the amount of stuffs we have!

The bathroom.

The bedroom. We have to sleep on the floor for the first night! It was torturous!! The floor was so cold and so hard.

The kitchen.

Sweeeeeeeeet...

After we had moved everything from the car into the unit, we prayed and commit the house to God. We prayed that the house will be filled to the abundance His presence and His love.

Amen.

Sorry and Thank You

2009-07-31T13:18:00.003+08:00

We're moving to our new place soon!! But it'll be mainly just the 4 walls, the ceiling and the floor.

Yup... there's no TV. No Internet. No phone line. No tables. No chairs. AND NO MATTRESS (for one night, I hope).

It's me and the 4 walls, the floor and the ceiling. I wonder, how would I spend my time in my new home... I don't even know how to sit. Hahaha... well, we'll managed (n_n)/

We're very thankful that we have a place to stay.

And we're super thankful for our friends who have been supporting us and allowing us into their personal abode. And we're very sorry for all the disturbance caused. We felt that we've robbed away their comfort zone and their privacy.

Sorry.

And thanks so much.

You guys have been a great blessing to us. And we prayed that God will continue to shower His blessings onto you guys as well.

And may we be a blessing to you too.

We love you! xoxo

Trying out Mom's Recipe

2009-07-28T09:21:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, I attempted to cook my mom's dishes again. This time, I rang her up (I'm using a phone card: DayBreak) to get to know in details of the recipe.

Thus, yesterday dinner was:

1) Sweet and sour, tomato sauce, pork chop.
Mom's recipe:
- Pound pork chop like crazy. Marinate with oyster sauce and a bit of sugar, for 30 minutes or more.
- Before pan-frying, coat pork chop with corn floor.
- Pan-fried porkie till golden brown. Take out from pan.
- For the sauce, stir fry some chopped chillies and onions, and some of those peas and corn bits. Then, pour in the ketchup and water. Add sugar to taste. Add a bit of corn floor to thicken the sauce.

The result!!! Yummy porkie chop in sweet and sour tomato sauce!!

2) Stir-fry leek and carrot with minced porkie
Mom's recipe
- Marinate minced pork with soya sauce, oyster sauce and a bit of sugar for 30 minutes or more.
- Stir fry minced pork till cooked.
- Add in chopped leeks. Stir stir stir. Fry fry fry.
- Add in chopped carrots. Stir stir stir. Fry fry fry.
- Add oyster sauce and water. Stir stir stir. Fry fry fry.
- Put on the lid for about 30 sec - 1 minute.

The end result. I kinda overcooked the vege :( That's because I FORGOT about the minced meat!!! I cooked the vege WITHOUT the meat.. Then I have to scoop up all the vege and then start all over again.

3) Steam eggie with minced porkie
Mom's recipe
- Beat 1 salted egg and 2 eggs in a bowl. Add a little of water.
- Pour egg mixture onto bowl with minced pork.
- Heat wok with water. Once the water starts to boil, put in the bowl onto the stand on the wok. Put on the lid.
- Steam for 15 minutes.
- When done, add in some soya sauce and pepper to taste.

This is my SECOND attempt. And the looks is alot better than my first (n_n)/ However, there's no salted egg in my second attempt. So the taste is not as nice as the first.

First attempt. Look at its super rough surface. And the minced meat kinda hard. That's because I pressed it down unto the bowl. Wrong move. Mom said that the minced meat supposed to be light so that the eggs can go in between them.

Second attempt. Hmmm, looks better. But eggs kinda hard. Lack of water. And lack of the salted egg taste.

Dinner is served!

Interesting Experience in Melb: Toll

2009-07-27T08:55:00.003+08:00

Joyfully after we picked our car (see: Jazzy Red Batmobile), we drove it back to our friends' place.

We're still unfamiliar with the roads, locations and directions in Melbourne. And we do not have a GPS. Thus, we printed out a map from GoogleMap on the route back.

The route seems simple. Until we got a biiiiit lost around CBD.

Never mind, we remembered the tram route back home. So, all we need to do is to find Flinders Station.

But little did we know, there's no right turn along the road at Flinders Station. So, we went on. And then, we reached a junction where you can make a right turn.

We thought, "Yay! We found our way back!".

HOWEVER... there's CUTE little sign next to the lane that states "TOLL".

uh-oh... we think we're heading towards the toll lane. We better U-turn.

Then... we drove passed an arch with fancy electronic devices on it. I think that's the toll system.

And we have not purchase a toll pass.

...
...
...

Suddenly, I appreciate Malaysia's toll system, where you can pay cash to a human operator.

...
...
...

Nevertheless, guess I have to go to a Post office and register my car and pay for the toll.

Jazzy Red Batmobile

2009-07-27T08:31:00.004+08:00

Our jazzy red batmobile finally arrived! Hubby took a day off and both of us took a tram to the Honda showroom.

And finally! A car of our own...

However... I'd feel that buying a car in Malaysia is somehow a much better deal. Though, dollar-to-dollar, the cars here are cheaper. But there's some disadvantages.

Cars here come bare! When you buy a car, you buy ONLY A CAR. Those fancy features like rear assist (see: All That Jazz), automatic central locking, door visor, mud guards, etc etc... and even CAR MATS are ADDITIONAL accessories to your car.

Therefore, you have to pay.

@#$%&

And car mats are not cheap.

@#$%&

Anyway, we're thankful to have a car to drive around. It's much easier, especially when we're to shift to our new place soon (YAY!) and lots of massive shopping.

The front...

Sexy back

Dashboard

Side view...

Interesting Experience in Melb: Fingernails

2009-07-23T10:28:00.009+08:00

Back in Malaysia, I used to cut my finger nails during the weekend. It's one of those habit you pick up during primary/secondary school days.

At that time, every Monday morning, during the assembly, after the "angkat, turun tangan"... and also the "sedia, baris sedia, senang diri"... and also the repetitive singing of the national anthem and the school song because we sang as softly as the butterflies... and also the "baca ikhrar"... and also the spot checks: shoe checking to make sure it's white, badge and name tag checking to make sure we're wearing school badges and name tags, socks checking to make sure our socks is not too high up, too low, or rolled down, hair checking to make sure it's not too long, not too short, tidy and neat, etc etc etc... and fingernails checking!

At that time, we have to raise our hands with our palms facing down, and the perfects will check our fingernails to make sure that they're short, neat and clean. If they're not, your name will be in the discipline book, you'll have to give your "reason" to the discipline teacher (duh, I lazy/forgot to cut it during the weekend), and a nice hit on the palm from the discipline teacher's rotan.

And thus, the habit of cutting nails during weekend.

Yes, I'm a female. And yes, I would to exhibit feminine qualities. But I prefer my nails to be short and clean.

Anyway... it's been 2-3 weeks since I last cut my fingernails in Melbourne. Why? Because, it's really NOT growing.

*GASP* What's wrong with me?

I did a Google search and found out that, the reason why fingernails are not growing well is due to malnutrition.

*ahem* The amount of food I take is DOUBLE the amount I usually take in Malaysia. I take my main meals (rice, vege, meat) in big portion, then I take fruits (banana, orange, apple), then I take desserts (chocolateeesssssss). And I'm having malnutrition?

You must be kidding?

Last night, I asked my hubby on his nails. And his fingernails are growing slower than usual as well!!

So, therefore, I conclude... Cold weather makes the fingernails grow slower.

(=,=)""

SIXTH Birthday Pressie

2009-07-23T09:13:00.006+08:00

After dinner (see: Fifth Birthday Pressie), we went for supper at Brunetti.

Ahhh... heaven for sweet-tooth mammals like myself... Every sight, smell, bite is like heaven on earth...

THANK YOU HENNLEY, DEVIN & HUBBY ... again (n_n)/

Look at those cakes, pastries, chocolates... I can't seem to choose...

*Gasp* MORE cakes and pastries and everything sweet and yummy!! So much yummies, so little me...

This is JUST one row of them.

This is what we had (clockwise from top left): Tiramisu, Royale (chocolate and almond cake with dark chocolate mousse), I-can't-remember-but-it's-sure-tasted-very-yummy, strawberry cheese cake.

For more information, location and menu:
Brunetti's website: http://www.brunetti.com.au/

Oh ya. The next day, I had sore throat, followed by mild fever, cough and flu. Too much chocolates for one day :P

FIFTH Birthday Pressie

2009-07-23T08:49:00.004+08:00

My fifth birthday pressie are from my dear friends (who're STILL hosting us at the moment) and my hubby (n_n)/

We had Italian for dinner. We went to Papa Gino's at Lygon Street for pizzas and pasta!

THANK YOU HENNLEY, DEVIN & HUBBY (n_n)/

The menu... Yummy pizzas and pasta!

The environment. You can see how good is their business, the place is packed with people. Casual dining ambiance. And you can hear lotsa happy people laughing loudly. BWAHAHAHA~

Complimentary bread and butter. The white bread is really soft. Could be better if they toast them with garlic butter.

Seafood marinara spaghetti. Yummy. But wish there were more sauce.

Mexican pizza. Spicy salami with capsicum and ham. Nice!!

Chicken pizza. Lots of crunchy chicken bits and yummy BBQ sauce.

For more information, location and menu:
Papa Gino's website: http://www.papaginos.com.au/

Address and contact:
221 Lygon Street
Carlton, VIC 3053
Melbourne, Australia
Phone: 03 9347 5758
Fax: 03 9347 5757

Buying Non-stick Pans?

2009-07-14T10:05:00.003+08:00

When we're choosing cookware, the only that concerns us the most if the quality of the nonstick cookware.

There were many questions raised regarding the safety of the nonstick cookware, especially in regards of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (also known as C-8). It is a chemical used to bond the nonstick coating to the cookware. This chemical may have link to causing cancer, birth defects, and so on.

So, before buying any cookware, please do some research on the material and chemical used to make the cookware.

Some interesting sites you may want to visit:
- Common Materials of Cookware
- Choosing Nonstick Cookware - Part 1
- Choosing Nonstick Cookware - Part 2
- Is Nonstick Cookware Safe?
- Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Nonstick Pan

FOURTH Birthday Pressie

2009-07-14T09:17:00.003+08:00

My fourth birthday pressie came from my hubby.

We went to David Jones and bought ourselves knives set and cookware set. It was on sale, so we got it for a good bargain!

Though they're pricier than home brand products, but it's worth it considering that we're going to use it for a very loooooong time. And a big, great motivation for me to cook (n_n)/

The Circulon Infinite cookware set.

And the Mundial 5100 Black knives set

THIRD Birthday Pressie

2009-07-14T08:53:00.002+08:00

My third birthday pressie is from the church we're currently attending. No, they do not who we are. And no, they do not know that it was my birthday.

They were launching the church new name and extended the number of services to 3 (1 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday). Thus, they were serving finger foods.. such as... chocolates, cakes, pastries, chocolates, mousse, hotdogs, chocolates, salami, biscuits, chocolates, and so on...

And I had sooooooo much chocolates! It's like a dream come true! And there's even chocolate mousse, which I have been craving for a long time. Yummy! (n_n)/

SECOND Birthday Pressie

2009-07-13T15:24:00.004+08:00

My second birthday pressie: Grace, Forgiveness and Mercy

It came unexpectedly from a stranger. Given to me in when I do not deserved it the most.

It was my birthday DAY. Sunday. It was also a day we would spend our mornings worshiping God in church. Currently, we're attending Bridge Church in Richmond. My ex-classmate brought us there few weekends ago. And we've been attending the church ever since.

Since we have yet to own a car, we took the tram to church. And for a tram ride, you need a valid tram ticket. Which, I forgot to buy the day before...

I thought I could purchase the ticket at convenience store nearby. But, on this particular Sunday, it was closed.

So, I thought I could purchase it on the tram itself. But the ticket machine on the tram does not have the weekend pass. Hubby suggested to get it at the stop where we're to change tram.

"But what if I got caught without ticket??" My heart pounded.

The tram finally came to a stop. We rushed out. We were late for church. And I still need to buy a tram ticket at the station before I hop onto the next tram.

But, my nightmare had just begun.

"Excuse me, can I see your ticket."

There were officers on the tram station. And as passengers stepped out of the tram, the officers stopped each and every one of them, requesting them to display their tram tickets.

"Oh no... " My heart cried out.

I walked out as fast as possible, hoping not to be caught.

"Excuse me, miss... can I see your ticket please..."

It was too late. I was caught. It was my fault anyway. I didn't have a valid tram ticket. Although I was planning to get it there, I was still breaking the law. I felt so ashamed and aghast with myself. How could I let this happen...

"Can have some identification please, " the lady officer requested.

"Urm... ermm..." my mind tried to think, "This is my Malaysian IC. Will this do?" my hands was shaking as I took out my IC.

"Yup, that will do fine." She took my IC and started writing down the charges and fine.

"Where are going? Why are you in rush?" she questioned.

"Oh... I'm going to church. And I'm kind of late..." I felt so disgusted with myself. Going church and yet breaking the law...

"Tell me, where do you live?"

"I'm staying with a friend at the moment... and her address is...is..." I couldn't think properly. My eyes were hot with tears. My mind was confused and frightened. And my heart is pounding mad. I couldn't recall her address...

"Please hold on, I wrote it somewhere," I took out my pink diary and flipped the pages frantically for the address.

"Oh... here's the address." I showed it to her.

"Let me write this down.... Ok.... and your birth date?" she continued writing down my details.

"It's 12 July..." I said with great disappointment. I was really looking forward to having a fabulous day today. But today started out not as I was hoping for.

"Ok, 3rd July..." she said as she wrote down '03 JULY' on the form.

"No," I held back my tears and corrected her, "It's 12th July... today...".

"Oh... it's your birthday today!" She looked at me with excitement. "Happy Birthday to you!" She let out a warm smile.

"Thanks..." I sighed.

"Well, then," she said, "Go to your church now. Give a testimony for today!"

"Huh??" I got confused.

"Don't worry about this. I'm letting you off today. Go now, give testimony for today," she smiled.

I was so in shock. My tears finally came down running. "I'm so sorry. So sorry.. I wanted to buy the ticket yesterday, but I forgot... and the shop was closed... and... and..." I was sobbing. I couldn't understand what I was saying.

"It's ok now. God bless you" she smiled again.

I was so relieved, though, I was still very much ashamed of myself. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

I hurried to the ticket counter and bought myself the tram ticket. As I was on the next tram to church, I thought to myself how ignorant and unprepared I was. And how much grace, forgiveness and mercy was shown to me despite of that.

It somehow reminded me God. His big wonderful love, grace and mercy. Forgiveness after forgiveness.

But it also reminded me of another thing of God. That He's just, holy and righteous. Though He's abundant with forgiveness, one day, after my very last breathe on earth, I will stand in front of the judgment seat. And there, there will be no more second chances.

I'm very grateful of this day. But, I need to be more prepared, diligent and less ignorant. And I need to be more discipline in that.

Thank you lady officer for letting me go.

And thank you Lord, for everything.

FIRST Birthday Pressie

2009-07-13T15:10:00.004+08:00

My very first birthday pressie came as a surprise. It was a few days before my birthday and it caught me by surprise. Wooo Hoooo !! This is what happened...

It was about 9.45am in the morning. And yes, I was STILL sleeping. It was a tiring night! I played Batman Lego Wii with my friend till passed midnight. And besides, I'm still unemployed (sigh!).

Someone rang the door bell from the lobby (we're staying in an apartment). My friend, who was awake and got ready to go to work, pick up the call. She woke me up and told me there's a parcel for either me or hubby waiting downstairs.

So, I got up, reluctantly, changed into jeans (no way I'm wearing my jammies out!) and went to the lobby to collect my parcel.

When the delivery man handed it to me, I was shocked...

It was stated in the box "To Mr. Ken XXXXX".

Then, I thought to myself, "This must be a mistake... that's not my hubby's name".

As I was going to return the parcel to the delivery man, I read on.

"To Mr. Ken XXXXX and Madam Abigail YYYYY".

(@_@) That's my name alright. It there such coincidence another person with my name who is married to Mr. Ken XXXXX ??

Finally, I saw a tiny fine print that states "On behalf of Sue Anne".

OHHHHHHHHHHH.... Sue sent me a parcel!! I opened it and *ta-da* she sent me pressies!! TWO books !! YAY !!

Books as pressies from Sue! "A Lineage of Grace" and "Battlefield of the Mind".

Thanks Sue! Me lurve ya muchie!

Nandos in Australia

2009-07-07T08:40:00.005+08:00

Before we came to Australia, my uni-friends wanted to organize a farewell dinner for me. So, my pregnant friend suggested Nandos.

"Nandos is yummy!" she exclaimed, "and you'll going to miss it... because there is NO Nandos in Australia. So better have your last Nandos meal before you go".

Well, we didn't really have Nandos in the end...

But, I did get a chance to eat Nandos in Melbourne. In fact, there're plenty of Nandos restaurants in Victoria alone.

The sauces

His Nandos meal. Pathetic. I wondered if it's really chicken. I think it's pigeon. And there's only ONE side dish, which does not taste great. Malaysia's Nandos has TWO side dishes. With a BIGGER chicken. And BETTER side dishes. Argh...

She was right... I do miss Malaysia's Nandos...

For location of Nandos in Victoria, kindly visit their website http://www.nandos.com.au/.

Me

2009-07-06T12:30:00.001+08:00

What is it I see? Is that me in front of me?
Tell me, who you claim to be? Me?

How dare! How can you claim that?
I am not you, I am not like that.

But, yes, you are right,
You’re me, alright.

To deny you, I’m really sorry,
My sight was too bleak and murky.

Focusing on the wrong things, I have,
Predicaments and hindrances, I raved.

Staring at each other, I’m ashamed and aghast,
With the truth I wish not want to grasp.

My heart bleak with the person you bear,
Sitting shabbily on a sand-built chair.

Your belt unbuckled, torn and disregarded,
Your breastplate left aside, tarnished and rusted.

You left your feet to bare,
With no shoe to wear.

Your arms too frail for the shield oh so heavy,
You treated your helmet without care or worry.

Your sword left on shelf to flaunt,
Your daily practice left to naught.

Lord, what have I become into today?
A white washed tomb, You once said?

Now stand, I say, stand!
Put on your full armour and stand.

Wipe away those self-pity tears,
Throw away your baggage of ignorance and fear.

And run, I say to you, run!
Focus on the finishing line and run.

Forgive me, oh Lord, please forgive me,
Break me all over again to mold me.

Let me not go astray, I deeply pray,
Bring me back to You, in every way.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

2009-07-05T13:35:00.000+08:00

At the current situation I'm in now, I'm somehow overwhelmed with so much burdens and challenges and road blocks. I felt like, things can never get settled down. As if, things will never get better.

Problems after problems. Hardships after hardships. When will this ever ends? Never, I guessed. Until this journey of life is over, it will never end.

This is a hymm I really love. I can't help but to sing the chorus.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Verse 1
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Chorus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Verse 2
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Verse 3
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Hillsong United did a very good version of the chorus:

Happy Birthday Wendy!

2009-07-03T11:27:00.006+08:00

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y

Happy birthday,
Happy birthday!

I really hope I got the day right,
'Cause my day started out not so bright.

You see, I broke my friend’s jar this morning,
And spilled out all its tea filling.

What am I to do? I feared and flustered frantically,
I felt like a burden to them them, especially.

Anyway, let’s focus on your birthday!
And happy cheers on this special day!

May all your fondest dreams come true,
And may your enjoy the journey and the fulfillment to the full.

May your life be filled with joyfulness and happiness,
And in sorrow, may you choose to focus on the little brightness.

May you be much loved by people (and cats) around,
And may you love people back, plentiful and abound.

Today is your day, and I wish you the very best,
I hope you celebrate it, with a lot of zest.

Happy birthday, my friend, happy birthday,
Happy birthday, I wish you today :)

Dedicated to Wendy, written by myself, after I vacuumed the bits and pieces of broken glass on the floor.

----------------------
Wendy's reply
----------------------

Thank you for helping me when I'm in trouble
Thank you for laughing with me
Thank you for letting me to tease you
Thank you for cheering me up when I'm down
Thank you for sitting next to me in school
Thank you for baking with me
Thank you for walking with me
Thank you for teasing me
Thank you for driving me nuts at times
Thank you for arguing with me
Thank you for singing with me
Thank you for our favourite colour "purple"
Thank you for all great jazz nite outings
Thank you for all the rides u gave me back home
Thank you for being such a good friend
Thank you for remembering my birthday
Thank you for "thinking" of my cats
Thank you for growing up with me and many many more thank you(sss)

---------------
My reply
---------------

Thank you, to you too (n_n)/

Approval, At Last!

2009-07-01T10:30:00.003+08:00

Last weekend, we went home-hunting again. We listed 4 units we would love to inspect. Our friends were busy that weekend, so we went hunting by ourselves. We printed out maps from the website and plan our route by train and foot. Due to lack of time to travel from one location to another, we only managed to view only 2 of them. And one of them is a unit which I really, really like (judging from the picture in the website). And true enough, when we inspect my "favourite" unit, we really REALLY like it, a lot.

So, again, we applied for the unit. This time, I took charge of the application. And this is my winning strategy!

Strategy #1 : Pray HARD, really really HARD
Prayer works. This time, we prayed before the inspection. We prayed after the inspection. We prayed after filling up the form. And we prayed during the form submission.

Strategy #2 : Write Grandmother Stories in the Form
I think of our application was rejected because we don't have a financial/rental background in Australia and hubby was the only breadwinner of the family (for the time being). So, this time, I wrote "grandmother stories" of why we do not have a background in Australia, stating we just got migrated here, and I'm currently looking for job.

Strategy #3 : "Kam-Ching" with the Agent (Note: "Kam-Ching" means be friendly)
I woke up early on the following Monday morning. I called up the agent and talk to her politely. I told her that we're new in Melb and we really wish to get a nice unit to rent. And we really LOOOOVE the unit we saw last weekend. I wanted to be super friendly to her, but I was kinda sickish. So, my conversation with her was kinda blur.

Strategy #4 : It's all about the MONEY $$$
If you can't beat them, out-bid them! There were 8 applications altogether for the unit. And we really love it. It's difficult to find a unit we both love. And it's difficult to go through the cycle of rejection-inspection-application-rejection. The price was within our budget. So, I increased the rent per week a little, which was STILL within our budget (though it's kinda at the border of our budget).

Strategy #5 : Pray HARD!!
Oh... did I mention, that prayer works??

Strategy #6 : PANIC!!
Ok, this is not really a good strategy. But I did panic and got stressed up whilst waiting for approval.

So, after loads of inspections and applications and rejections, our application is SUCCESSFUL at last! The agent called me and schedule a time with us to discuss on the contracts and stuff.

And thus, the following day, we went to the agent's office. Signed some contracts. Paid the initial deposits. And it's official, we got ourselves our OWN HOME!

Though, I'm still stressed up a little. We can only move in next month. And I really do not wish to bother my friends so long. I felt that we're robbing their privacy and comfort. Sigh... I really hope they'll forgive me... and this period to end fast...

Rejection

2009-06-29T09:16:00.004+08:00

Week after week after week, we've been diligently searching for units to rent and going inspections after inspections. Every week, we found a few that we really like and sent in our applications.

Every unit we applied, we got rejected. This is so frustrating! Is it because we're new in Melb and thus do not have a financial/rental history? Or is it because I'm not employed and my hubby is the only breadwinner? Or is it because we don't look like nice people?

WHY ?!?!?!?

Last two weekends, we applied for two units. And both of our application was rejected...

Application #1
Background: This is a newly built unit. What the owner did is: He/She bought/has a biiiiiig piece of land. Then, the owner built a 2-storey apartment with several little units. It's new & clean. With good lighting, heating, gas cooking, bathroom, bedroom with wardrobe, etc.
Reason of rejection: Apparently, someone bid the unit with a higher price!! And, knowing that the unit is able to fetch a very high rental price, the owner decides to open the unit for another inspection and see how high the bid will go.
My opinion: @_@

Application #2
Background: This unit is not new, but it's very clean and tidy. It's a few steps away from supermarkets, markets and even the train station. What the owner did is: He/She bought/has a biiiiiig piece of land. Then, the owner built a BIG 2-storey bungalow, with several 1-bedroom units. We really love the place and the unit. It has good lighting, heating, gas cooking, bathroom, bedroom with wardrobe, etc. And it comes with a washing machine!
Reason of rejection: I personally don't think there are many applications for this. There were only 3 groups of people (including me and my hubby), and the agent forgot to bring the application forms. BUT, we got rejected... Why? The agent said the owner is very picky...
My opinion: Picky !??!?!??!?

And thus, my dream is to own a BIIIG piece of land. Built half a dozen of one-bedroom units. And rent to people. And be picky on the rental application...

All That Jazz!!

2009-06-22T09:43:00.005+08:00

We went car-hunting last weekend!

This is the third weekend we went scouting for a car. We really love Honda Jazz the most. Well, I like Honda Jazz the most (n_n)/ It's the most cutest, sportiest, bestest small car (comparing with Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2, Mitsubishi Colt, Holden Barino, Perodua MyVi, etc etc etc). Of course, I really would love Nissan 370Z, but then again... oh well...

This weekend, we went to 2 Honda car showrooms.

First showroom: Robert Lane
I don't like the salesman... I just don't like the things he said. He said we're stupid and silly when we told him our expectation of the price. Hubby did some research online and listened to some experiences, and the budget we placed in for Jazz was very reasonable.

But, he said, "Oh, don't be stupid. That's so stupid... you're making yourself look stupid and you're making me look stupid. That's so silly..."

Note, the sentence above was repeated TWO times. Nobody likes to be called stupid.

So, we walked out...

Second showroom:
This was a lot better. And the salesman was a bit... blur... which was a good advantage for us!

After some sessions of bargaining...

We: Can we have the rear assist?
Salesman: Ok.... (scribbling "Rear Assist" on his paper)
Salesman: Let me check out the price for this...

After "talking to the manager"...

Salesman: Rear assist will cost $500 more.
We: @_@ OOOOHHHHH... Can you throw in for free?
Salesman: No... I can't throw in that for free...
We: Err... hmmm... urrm... Ok, throw away the rear assist. Can you give us mats for free?
Salesman: Hmmm... let me check...

After another session of "talking to the manager"...

Salesman: Ok, we can throw in mats for free. Do I have a handshake ??? (grinning while extending his hand)
We: Hmmm... but the price is still abiiiiiiiiiiiit high...

After a few sessions of bargaining and "talking to the manager"...

Salesman: Ok, we'll give that price! Do I have a handshake ?? (grinning while extending his hand)
Hubby: Yup! (Shook hands)
Salesman: Trust me, you got yourself a great deal! Give me a moment to print out the details...

And then, he came back with the printed details...

We: @_@ Where are the mats? I thought you said you'll throw them in for free?
Salesman: Let me check my paper... Nope, I didn't wrote mats in here...
We: @_@''''

We looked at the paper he scribbled while talking to us. And indeed, no mats. But... he wrote down "rear assist"...

Then, we checked the printed receipt, and "rear assist" was in the receipt...

Then, we concluded he went blur while negotiating and "talking to his manager"...

And finally, we got ourselves a RED hot Honda Jazz!! It'll be arriving in about 3 weeks time, and that will be somewhere on my birthday!!

Yiippeee !! Early birthday pressie (n_n)/

The Honda showroom

Sales, sales, sales!

Our SECOND cup of drink (hot chocolate). We had our first cup (latte) at the first showroom. I think we can go around car showrooms and sample their coffee/drinks while trying to bargain for a car!

Honda Jazz... Imagine this in red!

Home-Hunting

2009-06-22T08:48:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, we had another tiring day of home-hunting. We felt bad because we have to bother our friends again to fetch us around. We really do hope we'll find one that we like and really pray that our application will be successful!

Finding units to lease in Melbourne goes like this:

1) You search the units available in websites such as http://www.realestate.com.au. You can refine your search by stating which suburb you would prefer, how many bedrooms, your budget, etc.

2) From the search result, click to see the details of the unit.

3) You can find out some general descriptions of the unit, such as what are the facilities available (laundry, kitchen, etc.), number of bedrooms/bathroom/carport/etc, the rental payment per week, agent contact details, etc etc etc etc, and the inspection time.

4) If you wish to inspect the unit, note down the inspection date and time. But I heard some cases where you can call the agent and ask them whether they can inspect the unit earlier. But usually, they strictly follow the inspection date and time.

5) One the inspection date and time, the agent will be there at the unit and open the doors to whoever who wish to check the unit out. Usually, you have at most 15 minutes to inspect the unit and ask questions.

6) If you like it, grab the application form, fill it up and then fax/pass it to them by the next working day.

7) Along with your application form, you need some supportive documents to give you points. The points system is different for different agents. Usually, you will need 100 points attached along with your application. Vic Roads (driving license) usually carries the most weight (about 40-50 points). Medicare (government medical card) can give you about 20-30 points. Passport, about 20-30 points. Water/electricity/phone bills do carry some weight, about 30-40 points. For people like me (jobless, carless, bankless, etc.), it's very difficult to achieve 100 points. So, I will have to leverage on my hubby to get it.

8) Pray hard that you will get the unit!! Competition is very high, especially on well-maintained, clean, new, and strategically located units.

9) The agent will call/email you on your application result within a few days.

Some tips for looking at good units:

1) New, clean, well-maintained. While searching on the website, look for the keywords "newly renovated", "new refurbished", "newly painted", "new carpets", etc. I'm very fussy with the cleanliness of the house where I'll be spending half of my day relaxing. We've inspected MANY units which are cheap, BUT very old and very dirty. The paint of the walls and ceiling were peeling, there were strange dark-green, sticky patches of new species growing in the bathroom, the bathtub was almost black in colour, cabinets were cracking, the carpets were black, and so on. Some even smell weird!

2) Carports. Most units for rental does not even come with a carport. So, make sure you shortlist the ones with carports. If you love your car, make sure there is a covered carport. Do take note that the weather in Melbourne is very harsh.

3) Public transport. If you take public transport to work, make sure that there is a tram/train station in a walkable distance. Ok ok, technically speaking, you can walk to anywhere and everywhere.

4) Kitchen facilities. Gas cooking facilities and induction cooking... you choose your preference.

5) Laundry facilities. We really would want a private laundry facility, i.e.: there's a private washing machine installed, or you can install your own private washing machine. There are some units where they do not have those washing machine taps. So, you can NOT install your own washing machine in your unit. You have to use a communal/public laundry facility.

6) Internet ports. Old units usually do not come with internet ports. So, you may need to install them yourself. This is just a nice-to-have to save you from the hassle of installing internet ports.

7) Heating/Cooling system. another GOOD nice-to-have. You'll appreciate it during cold winter time and super hot summer season.

8) Security. You may want to look into those units which provide you a good security system.

Walk to CBD

2009-06-17T09:55:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I went to the CBD to do some si-lai work, i.e.: comparing prices of the white goods, electrical appliances and other home products to fill our dream home. Though we haven't really successfully applied for one, we thought it'll be good if we benchmark the prices of some important items.

I actually walked to the CBD. The journey takes about 30 minutes. Then, I went to Myer, David Jones, Target and some other little shops. At about 5.30 PM, it was dark and my legs were killing me... and I walked back to my friends' place..

Yes, my legs were very, very exhausted... But I still managed to snap some nice photos.

Crossing Yarra River. Gosh, my hands are shaking! Let me find something something where I can put my camera on.

Hmm... Still blur. I think I need a tripod.

Another view of Yarra River.

People walking here and there.

Some tower at the Arts Centre.

Interesting Experience in Melb: Lunch Hour

2009-06-16T08:39:00.011+08:00

One Australian culture that we find hard to adapt is their lunch time. Since I'm still unemployed, it's not applicable to me... yet.

Our friends in Melbourne did warn us about the lunch culture here. We did listen, but I think we took it very lightly.

So, about 3-4 weeks ago, hubby started his first day at work here in Melbourne. He came back home with a tired and exhausting face that screams "FEED ME!".

"Darling," he said, "people here do NOT eat lunch!!".

Well, technically, they DO eat something for lunch. Majority of the people here do not go out and have lunch. They usually pack their lunch from home. They'll have their lunch (usually fruits, salads, sandwiches or light snack bars) at the convenience of their workstation.

OH GOSH... How one normal human being be fed with such LITTLE food. Those to me are just appetizer.

Back in Malaysia, we usually step out of our office, walk to somewhere and have our lunch. Back in HL days, we'll have our yummy claypot chicken rice and soup. YUMS!

Anyway, hubby and I are still adapting to the culture here. What we usually do, is that I'll cook extra for tonight's dinner and pack some for his lunch the next day.

This is his lunch set for today. Made fully with lotsa love!

Rice with cute cherry tomatoes, boiled broccoli, baked chicken and ABC chilli sauce sambal asli (a yummy chilli sauce from Indonesia).

Side view...

Ahhhh~ so much LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE in one lunch box (n_n)/

I'm just so proud of myself!!

Indian Food

2009-06-15T10:30:00.000+08:00

We had Indian food on Sunday night for dinner in Melbourne CBD. It was niceeee... Kinda different from those mamak food in Malaysia. My friends mentioned that it's really authentic Indian food from India.

Our set meals = chicken curry, massala tikka chicken, naan and long grain rice.

Yum yum chicken curry and massala tikka chicken

Each meal comes with lassi... unsweetened lassi. I don't quite like the sourish milk taste. But it's apparently good when you eat spicy food. It's to neutralize the acid of the spicy food.

Naan is nice! It's not so thick and more crunchy.

My bowl of looooooooooong grain rice. The rice is really, really loooong. It's as long as two normal rice. Like bihun chopped into mini pieces...

See how loooooooooooong is the rice @_@

Home-Cooked Western Style

2009-06-15T10:00:00.003+08:00

Since I'm soooooooooooooo free (yes, still jobless), I've been trying my hands on new variety of food. My friends' unit is equipped with oven, so I tried roasting some meat (n_n)/

Baked pork loin chop with pumpkin and potatoes. YUM! I love the pumpkins. It really tastes nice and sweet.

Baked chicken breast meat with potatoes and bok-choy. Hmmm... kinda dry... I think I should lower down the temperature.

iPhone 3G S

2009-06-09T19:03:00.002+08:00

I want Apple iPhone 3G S !!

Click here for iPhone official website.

It's cool!

Interviews and Trains

2009-06-03T10:47:00.005+08:00

My friends' house is very, very, very far from the city. It's about 20 minutes walk to the train station and 1 hour of train ride.

I had an interview yesterday again. It turned out good. Well, at least I think I did well, I hope. There is this trick question that they asked that I found very interesting...

Interviewer: Let's play a game. In this game, we will test on how you gather and assess requirements from customer.
Me: OK... (heart beat increased 20%... stress, stress, stress)
Interviewer: Let's pretend that I'm your client and you're to gather requirements from me.
Me: OK... (Mind thinking hard about past user requirement experiences... portal... knowledge library... electronic forms... business processes... workflow... )
Interviewer: I want a cup...
Me: @_@''''' (What cup???? This requirement gathering??)
Interviewer: Yes, I want a cup...
Me: (Lotsa images of cup flashing into my mind... What he need a cup for? Cup = water/tea/coffee = drink?)
Me: Do you want something to drink?
Interviewer: Good response!!
Me: @_@''''
Interviewer: No, I don't want a drink...
Me: @_@'''' (A cup is use for drinking, rite???)
Me: Then, why you need a cup for?
Interviewer: I need the cup to stop the door...
Me: @_@'''' Can't we use the door stopper to do that?
Interviewer: Ahhh!! You responded correctly!!
Me: @_@''''
Interviewer: Clients usually do not know what they need. They thought that they needed a cup, but instead what they really need is a door stopper.
Me: (RELIEVED!)
Interviewer: Usually, the responses I get from people is that whether I want coffee or tea, or a big or a small cup. You responded correctly...
Me: Oh thank God!

Anyway, the interview went well. But I'm still not sure whether they would want to offer me a job. It seems that this month is the end of financial year, and usually companies would want to wait to the next month to reassess the headcount.

Sigh... I really hate this wait and idle state I'm in.

Anyway, I went home with a good state of mind. I try to keep myself optimistic and positive at all time. And keeping singing songs of praise to God...

Lord, you heard me, right? Please help me and guide me at all times...

Photos taken on the way back from the interview.

It was just noon. And I don't want to go back so early. I don't want to waste my train ticket to the city. So I decided to take a stroll in a shopping mall.

I found Borders!! I really love to read. I really wished that I brought along some books to read. I wanted sooooooo much to buy a book or two. But books here cost about AU$27++ (which is about RM80!!!)... Sigh, I miss reading...

Flinders Street train station...

Flinders Street train station...

My train is here!

On the way baaccccck.... Bye bye city!

Interesting Things Found in Melb: Electric Blanket

2009-06-02T14:47:00.006+08:00

Yes, this is the BEST thing on earth! The greatest invention of mankind! A miracle from God!

Thank God for Electric Blankets!!!

It's now officially winter in Australia and the temperature is dropping day by day. At night, it can go down to 6 Celsius. According to my friend, it may go down to 0 Celsius! Brrr...

It's very difficult to sleep with such cold weather. I do not like the feeling of going to bed. The bed and blanket felt so cold. Oh ya, I dislike going to the washroom during winter time... *ahem* Think of sitting on ice-block...

Anyway, so we went to K-Mart and got ourselves electric blankets!! It was on sale, so it's 20% off the normal price.

Ok, this is how an electric blanket works:
- We bought Queen size electric blanket.
- What we need to do is that we place the blanket on top of our mattress. Like those mattress protective sheets.
- Then, we cover the electric blanket and mattress with the bed sheet.
- There's 2 controllers and 2 power plug (don't worry, it's safe!). One on the left (hers) and one on the right (his).
- Plug in the power and switch it on.
- Adjust the temperature to your likings.
- Since there's 2 controllers, I can decide on my temperature and he can decide on his (n_n)/ This is the best feature !!
- You can also set the timer, so it'll off automatically by itself.
- So, about 15 minutes before you sleep, turn it on to warm up your bed. And when you tug yourself to sleep in a warm and cozy bed!

Our newly bought electric blankets! Say bye-bye to cold beds!

One of the 2 controllers

When Troubles Come

2009-06-01T15:10:00.005+08:00

I'm getting pretty depressed these days. I really miss home. And I really do not know what on earth am I doing here?

Many people tell me that I'll have a wooooonnndeeerfuuuul life here. A life full with cotton candies, red roses, cute little bunnies, castles in the sky, bla bla bla.

But it's not true... Life here is tough. And it is tougher than life back in Malaysia, considering that we have to totally uproot ourselves from our comfort zone and move with almost nothing (except for clothes and basic toiletries), and start alllllll over again from zero.

I can't helping asking God for His direction.

But my main prayer is that, even though it's tough here, our walk with God will grow stronger. And our relationship as husband and wife will bond deeper.

Please pray with us and for us...

Just want to share with you a song I kept singing, to remind myself that God is still in control and He'll see me through, no matter what..

---

When troubles come I trust in You
For I know You will lead me through
And I know You are faithful till the end
And when the storm are drawig near
When I'm with You
I don't have to fear
You're my shepherd on whom I can depend

Through the day
Through the night
I know You're always by my side
Lord You are always here with me
There is no changing God in Thee
You are the same yesterday
and today and forevermore

Here on Your promises I stand
You hold my future in Your hand
My solid Rock
Almighty God I worship You

---

Yarra River

2009-05-28T14:45:00.003+08:00

I had an interview today, Thursday, with the head hunter in the city. Good response from him regarding my experience and resume. He said that he will be forwarding my resume to some good companies.

Let's pray together that God will provide me a GOOD job... soon...

After the interview, to go back to my friends' home, I have to take a train from Flinders Street station. It was a nice sunny day, so I decided to walk there (not to mentioned that I want to save $$, public transportation here is kinda pricey).

I cross Yarra River and took some nice photos (n_n)/

Flinders Station. This is where I take train to my friends' home.

Interesting Things Found in Melb: Letter from a "Prophet"

2009-05-27T19:26:00.005+08:00

My friend whom we're currently staying with received a very interesting mail today. So interesting, it got me stunned for a while. Gosh, there is such thing here??

It's a letter from Peter Popoff, a self-claimed "prophet", who is "praying for you". And of course, if you want your prayers to be answered, you need to exhibit faith by *ahem* give money...

Here's some of the content of the letter. Click on the image to view a larger image.

The cover letter.

Hmmm... What is this?? I think it's the "Aaron's rod". What to do with it? Read the step-by-step instructions below.

Instruction #1... interesting...

Instruction #2

Instruction #3

Interesting eh?

Shrine of Rememberence

2009-05-26T17:19:00.002+08:00

I had two interviews today in the city. My last interview was near the Shrine of Rememberence. I was there early, so I went for a short walk around the area. I took some pretty good pictures as well (n_n)/

The walk to Shrine of Rememberence

Shrine of Rememberence and beauuutiiifuul blue sky!

Look at the sunny sky!! Nice~

The walk back to office

The walk back to office

Yes, it's a beautiful day. The weather was great. The sky was blue and beautiful. And the interviews? Well, I'm satisfied with my performance. I really hope to hear some good response soon (n_n)/

Wish me the best!

Bad Day

2009-05-25T17:07:00.001+08:00

I had a bad day today :( :(

I was supposed to attend an interview today in the city. I reached the city area 30 minutes early and found my way to the office. However, 15 minutes before the interview, the person whom I was supposed to meet called me and postponed the interview to tomorrow.

Ok, I'm fine with that. So I went to Woolworths to do some grocery shopping. After that, I tried to get to Albert Rd to meet my friend who offered me a ride home.

I got some instructions on how to get there from those Information people. They told me to get on to a tram and stop at the station after Shrine of Rememberence.

And so I did...

I think...

Along the way, I noticed that the tram was taking me to somewhere else. I got down and try to find my way using the map. As I walked and walked and walked and walked, I noticed that the roads I saw was not stated in the map I have (@_@)

OH NO!! Where am I???

Then, it started to drizzle... and I don't have an umbrella... My mobile is running low in battery and credit...

Thank God my friend called. Immediately she called her husband and he went searching for me.

It was a tiring day. And my mood was not in good conditions. I had a phone interview after all the drama. I think I did quite badly in the phone interview.

Sigh...

I hope tomorrow will be better...

2009-05-24T18:54:00.004+08:00

We're so thankful and grateful to friends here. After a short stay in Hennley's place in St. Kilda, we moved in to another friends' place in Bonbeach. Both of them are my ex-cell members during the days of Faith Walkers. Their lovely house is about 15 minutes walk to the beach.

Their lovely house.

In the evening today, we went for a stroll along the beach nearby with my friends and their little dog, Snowy... Ahhhh... so relaxing...

Snowy !! Don't be deceived by his cute looks. He's actaully real smart!

Vietnam Village

2009-05-24T18:19:00.012+08:00

After church, we went to have our lunch at Springvale. This place is like a Vietnam town, with many restaurants selling authentic Vietnamese cuisines and markets selling Asian food.

We has our lunch here. Food here is yummy!

The taugeh (bean sprout) that comes with our meal. We're supposed to soak it in our noodle soup.

Hers: Beef ball rice-noodle (read: kuey tiew). Rating: Yummy!

His: Beef slice rice-noodle (read: kuey tiew). Rating: Good!

After that, we went grocery shopping in those supermarkets nearby.

Their supermarkets look like those we have in Malaysia.

Lo and behold.... pigggiiesss !! Stomach, intestines, ears, legs, etc.

Beef! Beef! And more beef!!

Fishes everywhere!!

Kuih-muih and snacks, just like those we have in Malaysia, e.g.: sago, 9-layer cake, rice biscuits, etc.

More seafood... prawns, crabs, sotongs, etc.

Sauces, can foods, etc.

Trip to Church

2009-05-24T18:11:00.007+08:00

Today is Sunday (and the weather is great!) and it's our first time visiting a church here in Melbourne. Our dear friend/ex-cell member/host brought us to their church, City Life Church.

The view of the church outside. From the outside, this doesn't really look like a church.

Inside of the auditorium.

The seats are those looooong benches.

I really miss DUMC and worshipping God in Dream Centre :( And I really need God's guidance and direction in this foreign land. I felt so lonely here, so unsettled and so abandoned.

I really miss home...

Trip Around the City

2009-05-21T18:28:00.002+08:00

These days, we keep going to the city to do our administrative stuff, shopping, banking, etc. I didn't really take much photo, but here goes some :D

The view of the city. Look, there's a guy cycling in the city. And the cars will really stop for the pedestrians to cross (@_@)

We take trams everywhere we go.

Another view of the city. Tram tracks in the middle of the road.

Melbourne is very environmental friendly. People here hardly use plastic bags.

First Home-Cooked Meal

2009-05-21T18:16:00.003+08:00

My first home-cooked in Melbourne (n_n)/ We went grocery shopping yesterday and bought some chickens, choi-sam and potatoes. And I cooked dinner today. It wasn't as great as my mom's cooking, but I am contented! The taste really reminds me of home.

Stir-fry choi-sam

My mom's "chicken + potato" recipe. Yums! I hope my mom is proud of me.

Interesting Things Found in Melb: Malaysia Packet Food

2009-05-20T20:30:00.003+08:00

We went to the supermarket to do some grocery shopping. And look what we found!

I found Mammee!! Hmm... the Mammee monster does look a bit different from the one we have in Malaysia. This one kinda fluffy and with more furs. Must be because of the cold weather here.

We found Maggi Mee too. There's oriental flavor, beef flavor, chicken, etc.

First Meal in Melbourne

2009-05-20T20:15:00.004+08:00

After reaching Hennley's place at about 9.30pm, both of us were famished! Our friend dropped us at a Chinese restaurant, called Nam Loong.

Lo and behold! We found "Nasi Goreng" in the menu. And it's AUD 7. That means, it's about RM 21... more expensive than the "yong chow" fried rice in Madam Kwan.

More asian food in the menu.

The ambiance of the restaurant. Just like those coffee shops we have in Malaysia.

Chinese tea

His: Sweet and sour chicken with rice.

Hers: Brinjal + chicken with Thai sauce.

Rating: We banned the shop =_____=''''

Yay! We're in MELBOURNE!

2009-05-20T08:34:00.004+08:00

First land spotted.

Melbourne airport not really big. It's tiny compare to KLIA. And there are cute beagles doggies around, sniffing everyone's bags for drugs/gun powder/etc. Too bad I didn't manage to snap a photo of them. They're really very cute. But you wouldn't want them to sniff your bag too long. It usually means you MAY BE carrying something illegal. And they would want open your bags, and you wouldn't want the hassle of re-packing.

The Melbourne airport

Our luggage

Cabs are in yellow in colour. We got a big-@$$ cab since we have sooooooo much of luggage. Cost us about AUD55 to reach our friend's place.

Really BIG THANKS to our friends for offering their places.

Eating Onboard

2009-05-20T08:26:00.004+08:00

We had our lunchie on board.

I had the egg set = Egg with cheese + tomato + chicken hotdog + mushrooms, with chocolate walnut cake, super sweetened fruits, orange juice and croissant.

He had the nasi lemak set = Nasi lemak, with chocolate walnut cake, super sweetened fruits, orange juice and croissant.

Enrich Gold Member Lounge

2009-05-20T08:07:00.004+08:00

After sobbing and crying for sometime (I really x10000 miss my family), my heart lifted up when I was given an opportunity to visit the MAS Enrich Member Lounge. Yay!!

Registering at the oounter.

Woooooo..... biiiiiiiiiggg lounge !!

Another view of the lounge

Food galore!! They have nasi lemak, western breakfast (hot dog, ham, egg, etc.), sandwiches, and more!

Juices and milks...

(@_@) They even have beer!

My breakfast (n_n)/

Interesting Things Found While Packing: 2007 Snort Calendar

2009-05-11T16:25:00.014+08:00

This is yet another interesting treasure we found while packing. Really wish we could bring this over.

It's 2007 Snort Calendar. Got it when I attended SANS in Brisbane back in 2007.

Interesting Things Found While Packing: A Notebook Notebook

2009-05-11T14:33:00.011+08:00

9 more days to go and we're gradually emptying our abode. Some we pack to bring along to Australia. Some we keep. Some we give away. Some we donate. Some we throw/recycle. And some, we just do not know what to do with it...

Messy, messy, messy...

And one of the very interesting items we found is a "Notebook Notebook" !!!

What is a Notebook Notebook?? This is how it looks like (n_n)/

From the top view... hmm, Dell notebook....

Bottom view...

*Deng deng* Opening the notebook...

*Ta-Da* A notebook with LCD screen and keyboard! It's a Latitude!

Wait a minute... there is something "in" this notebook...

(@_@) It's a NOTEBOOK... that looks like a notebook!!

Wish List

2009-05-05T10:27:00.005+08:00

As the time of departure is nearing, I can't help but listing down some activities I really would love to do in M'sia, but yet not so important.

The (growing) table below depicts my wish list, in no particular order: (hmm... a descriptive header before the table and a nicely constructed table, my consulting skills is still in me)

Things to do	Done?	Remarks
Eat DURIANS, lotsa duriansssss...	Yes and No	Thanks so much to cell members! They brought durian for pot-bless last week! But one is still insufficient. I WANT MORE!!
Regain my pride and reputation and beat hubby in Wii boxing. Bwahahaha...
Eat seafood... sweet sour crab, butter prawns, salted egg crayfish, XO pork, stir-fried kailan, asam steam fish, etc etc etc.	Soon, I hope (n_n)
Meet-up with everyone I know, at least once (and hug them).	30%
~~Eat bah-kut-teh.~~	Dropped	Not a big fan of bah-kut-teh... save the stomach for other food.
Have dim sum for breakfast.	???	Hmmm... many said that Melb has one of the best dim sum... should I drop this?
Master my mom's cooking... especially, braised salted fish + tofu + porkie, braised potato + chicken, stir-fry ginger + spring onion + fish, ABC soup	10%	I think I'll take years to truly master them.
Setup FB account for hubby.	Yes	Done. I'm such a wonderful wife (n_n)/
Learn how to make teh-tarik.	80%	Thanks to the pantry kakak for her tips! I think, I'll leave the "tarik" off.
Go Melaka!	Yes	YAY!! Thanks to my ex-housemates! We has such a great time in Melaka. We had chicken rice ball, Portuguese seafood, asam laksa, cendol, ice creams, crepe cakes, etc etc... too bad our tummy ran out of space for satay-celup.
Have mamak late at night. Would like to order teh-si-ice, roti bom, roti tisu, ayam tanduri, maggi mee goreng, garlic cheese nan.
Develop and master the skill of generating/preserving heat in my body. I'll definitely need it for this coming winter in Melb.	=_=	I don't think this will ever happen.
Join church prayer meeting to pray for beloved M'sia	SOON!	Soon!!

I love Sue

2009-05-04T18:29:00.005+08:00

Dearest Sue,

Gosh! Posting such a heartfelt message on your blog (see Sue's blog) for me is so touching (and surprising). Haha... Nevertheless, you moved me to tears (in the office, thank God for cubicles!). How can I thank you for your love, patience, kindness, guidance, friendship for all these years. Sometimes, I wished I've been a better friend for you. You're always there for me, through ups and downs, tears and laughter, mamak and shopping, nagging and not, etc etc etc...

We've been through kindergarten, primary school and secondary school together. But it was only after we graduated from university that we got close. I can still remember the day we "reunited" after you came back from studying in Australia. It was very, very late at night (or early in the morning). And we were in Burger Kings, Hartamas. YYK was the one who initiated the meet-up. The meet-up in Burger King was a bit awkward. We haven't met in years. And thus, we talked the "weather talk", just the usual "how are you" stuff. But it was the journey back that got us close. I remembered you drove me back home. When we reached my home, we chat in the car for ~~sometime~~ looonnngg time. It was from those sharing that brought us close. I remembered you prayed for me too.

I remembered those times we prayed together with Sarah. And makan sessions which we always over-estimate the capacity of our stomach. Running like crazy because we were late for our movies on Wednesday nights. Celebrating Valentine's Day together in a mamak because everywhere else is sooooooo packed. Talking in the car for hours. Taking care of me like a mother when I had dengue fever. ~~Nagging~~ Advice sharing sessions. Being my beaaaauuutiifuuul bride's maid on my wedding day (and helping me make those tideous booklets for our wedding guest, which are usually thrown away after that) ... etc etc etc...

Sue, I love you and I really love you dearly. I'll definitely miss you a lot when I leave M'sia. Please take good care of yourself and stay safe, healthy and strong. I'll keep you in prayers all the time. Please do keep me in your prayers too.

I won't say goodbye, but see-you-soon.

God bless you...

Keep in touch always...

Love,
Your friend :)

Saya Cinta Malaysia

2009-04-27T13:51:00.001+08:00

Yes, I love my country Malaysia, very much indeed.

Ever since that our plans of migrating to Australia got broadcast, I’ve been hearing so much comments on our move.

“Wow, you managed to escape!”
“Good for you!”
“You’ll be better off there.”
“Good move!”
“Yes, that’s the way… escape as fast as you can.”
“Your life will be a lot better there.”

Everyone seems to be praising our move.

Nevertheless, this move is very tough on me. I’m born and breed in Malaysia. And I’m very much attached with everything here. I really love the people here. Especially my family and friends…

Malaysia desperately needs good citizens to stay on and persevere and built her up. I felt my own nation needs me more than anywhere else in the world.

There are great needs in this nation and a greater need to open the eyes of the citizen to these needs. There’s still a long way to go to built this nation up to be a strong, righteous and humble nation.

Moreover, I’m somehow fearful that my focus on God would be diverted with my new life. I would only go to a place if and only if God wants me to be there. And I pray that my new life will be purposeful to God and His plans. That we’ll be a blessing to our new home and community.

Nevertheless, I’ll always love my dear Malaysia, and keep her in prayers in all times.

Change

2009-04-13T14:21:00.005+08:00

I wrote this sometime in the past, about more than 2 years ago. I can't help feeling the same this very day...

~~ A Change ~~

A change, I shouted loudly,
To rebel against monotony,
And to defy amissed conformity,
A better good, I strife earnestly.

Change I encountered, after the fight,
But there I stood, paralyzed and uptight,
The next step was an intimidating might,
The unknown was as dark as the night.

In faith I put my best foot forward,
In prayer I hope my heart not to coward,
Lord, help me through the seas of doubt,
And fill my doubtful heart with Your Word.

Amen.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

David Pawson

2009-04-13T11:03:00.007+08:00

Last weekend, we attended David Pawson’s sermon on “Unlocking the Bible”. It was a wonderful enlightening experience. There are many wonderful mysteries in the Bible that is waiting to be discovered.

He started his sermon by asking 5 questions and we’re to raise our hands if the answer is “Yes”.

David: One, do you truly believe that the Bible is the Word of God?
== Many hands raised ==
David: Unanimous. Two, do you believed that the Bible is the most important book?
== Many hands raised ==
David: Unanimous again. Three, have you read the book…
== Many hands GOING to be raised ==
David: I don’t mean bits of it. I mean, all of it…
== Several hands raised ==
David: Ok ok... Four, how many of you read through a book before?
== Many hands raised ==
David: Unanimous. Interesting, you said that the Bible is the most important book, but you’ve never finish reading it. And yet, you’ve finished reading other books which are not so important. Last question, and be very careful on answering this ‘cause God is looking at you, will you read through the Bible from today onwards?
== Several hands raised ==

In his sermon, he taught us on we should we should read the Bible. Some interesting pointers I noted:
>> The Bible is a library of books, a history book and a love book.

>> We should read the Bible disregarding the chapter and verse number. In this way, our thoughts will not be influenced by the division caused by the chapter/verse number. If people in the past can read and understand the Bible without these numberings, so can we. Besides, when we have no chapter/verse number to depend on, it will really train us in knowing our Bible better.

>> And by ignoring the verse numbering, we won’t simply read scriptures out-of-context. He gave many verses that are read out-of-context. One very interesting one is Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”. He asked the crowd to think of the areas in our life we can apply this verse. And then he asked us, “Who thought of money?”. Only 2 hands raised. “Well, at least two of you got the verse right”. He, then, went go on to explain the context of the verse. Verse 10-12 was about Paul being thankful to his Philippians friends for their gift and telling them that he’s doing fine in whatever circumstances he’s in because he have learnt to be contented. And then verse 13 comes, that he can do all things (i.e.: surviving on very little and still have a contented heart) because Christ helps him. Very enlightening!

>> Before reading a book, ask what is the book about and what is it telling you. He gave many examples, some interesting ones are:

** The book of Proverbs is a book of proverbs. There are words of wisdom, and not God’s promises which we can claim. This means, that they are generally true, but not all the time. He gave the example on training your son well so your son will not depart from your teachings. Generally, it is true… but not all the time. Your son, even though well-trained and well-taught since young, can choose to rebel and depart from your teachings.

** There’re 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) and they’re written for different audiences:

Mark and Luke is written for the unbelievers
Luke is written for young believers
John is written for matured believers

How sure is this? Read through all 4 gospels and compare how they’re written and the stories in each gospel. One noticeable story is the parable of the wedding banquet (Matt 22:1-14 and Luke 14:16-24). See how the parable ends in those two books. Notice that the parable is ended quite harshly in Matthew, where one of attendees who failed to change his clothes is bind and throw outside, into the darkness where there be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 14: 11-13). Yes, the abovementioned is one of the warnings in the Bible regarding persevering our salvation and not to backslide and turn lukewarm. Scary, isn’t it?

Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed his sermon and really learn a lot. What really amazed me is his passion for God and in studying of His Words.

The book Unlocking the Bible. I've got one at home. It's pretty thick, but nevertheless interesting!

My Dream Wedding

2009-03-31T21:00:00.005+08:00

My long awaited testimony (n_n)/

=== Prologue===

"Oh gosh, it's going to rain again," sighed my colleague. "I guess I’d better be stuck in office rather than in a terrible jam."

I looked out of my office window. Dark clouds loomed the sky above, sending thunders and lightning as messages of intimidation. Soon, rain poured, flooding the ground below with its abundance.

It has been raining cats and dogs every evening without fail. Worry began to creep into my mind. Please, don’t rain this Saturday, I whispered a prayer.

You see, this Saturday is my wedding day. Yup, someone actually wants me for a lifetime. One of the biggest days of my life. And I definitely want everything (I repeat, EVERYTHING) to be PPPPPERFECT. Oh yes, you guessed it correctly, I’m an idealist.

Moreover, it’s going to be a garden wedding. This is something I have been dreaming of since I was young. A wedding set in the beautiful lush exterior. Surrounded by blossoming pastel flowers and flourishing greeneries. The mellow composition orchestrated by little adorable birds. Me, in the most elegant white gown, gracefully marching in, as my husband-to-be gazed with anticipation. And the crowd gawked in awe and admiration.

Boooommmmm !!!

The loud thunder shook me back to reality. My mind began to be overwhelmed by worries and doubt. “Dear Lord, will there be rain this Saturday?” my heart whispered.

“It is not going to rain.” A voice, strong and peaceful yet so familiar, calmed the raging doubts of my thoughts.

“It is not going to rain.” I could hear His voice echoing again, bringing a strong sense of assurance and confidence.

“It is not going to rain.” Yes, I believed, it is not going to rain.

“Such a heavy downpour,” sighed my colleague. “You better strategized a backup plan. Looks like it’s going to rain on your wedding day.” said my colleague under his suppressed laughter.

“It is not going to rain.” I replied back with confidence.

“How sure are you?” another colleague asked.

“Positively, definitely, certainly sure,” I assured them, “It is not going to rain.”

=== Fast forward to my wedding day ===

“It is not going to rain.” I could still hear His assuring voice. So far, the day has been beautiful and sunny. Well, maybe somewhat too sunny. I was slightly worried that the day would be too hot. And so, the image of a heavily perspiring bride flashed into my mind. Gosh, I wouldn’t want my family and friends to endure such heat.

And then, off we went in a decorated MPV, my husband-to-be and I to our wedding venue.

Boooommmmm !!! Yes, the familiar sound of the horrendous thunder. And soon, the flood gates of the sky opened and drenched the ground with its downpour.

Little by little, doubt crept in aiming to overpower His assuring voice. I looked out the car window and I could only see dark clouds and rain everywhere.

Riiiinngg… my ~~then fiancé’s~~ bride's maid's phone rang. “Hello,” he she answered.

It was our dear friend who took role as our wedding coordinators.

“The hotel staff needs your confirmation on the wedding venue. They suggested shifting the venue to the foyer… to be on the safe side… in case it rains...”, she said hesitantly.

“Is it raining there?” my fiancé asked.

“No,” she answered, “but this entire place is blanketed with thundering dark clouds. We’re praying very hard for the clouds to away.”

“Let’s continue praying and decide on the shift later.”

And so, we prayed… and we prayed… and we prayed… “It is not going to rain.” I could still remember the assurance I received. Wait a minute. Was that my own voice giving myself false confidence? Or was it the Lord my God, the creator of heaven and earth, who will never leave me nor forsake me?

“Lord, it that You?” my heart whispered.

“It is not going to rain.” I could hear those words again.

The phone rang again. My fiancé picked up the phone. It’s my wedding coordinator again. They required a confirmation as the hotel is to set up the seats and stage.

My fiancé and I looked at each other. And we said, “Set it in the garden. It is NOT going to rain.”

“Are you sure?” my coordinator asked.

“By faith, yes!” my fiancé exclaimed. “In Jesus’ mighty name, amen!”

“Amen!” my wedding coordinator exclaimed.

“Amen!” the best man / driver exclaimed.

“Amen!” my bride’s maid, who was beside me, exclaimed.

“Amen!” I exclaimed. God said that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. What more moving clouds?

And so, we arrived at the hotel. We looked up to the sky. To our amazement, we saw the dark thundering clouds began to shift. Everyone who was there before us was astonished.

“The dark clouds came. And seated here along with its threatening thunder and lightning. And then, the dark clouds moved. And now it’s gone!” my photographer explained in amazement.

“Your wedding is the best I've experienced. I saw with my own eyes the dark clouds and thought to myself, it’s going rain cats and dogs. And then, with my own eyes, I saw the clouds being blown away.” my make-up artist awed as she did my make-up.

“The dark clouds are being blown away! Our God is all assuring and almighty” my wedding coordinator overjoyed.

And the weather was beauuuutifuuul. The dark clouds that came and gone left behind cool breezes. And the sky was big and blue. My wedding was more perfect than I’ve planned. More magnificent than I could ever dream.

And it was more than just an event. The savour of true meaning of marriage radiated. Unspeakable joy bubbled up. Our hearts was so filled with such immense love. Both my husband and I immersed ourselves in the presence of God as we make our marriage covenant.

“See… I told you it is not going to rain” I could hear His smile. He never failed to awe me again.

My wedding reminds me of one thing. That my God is bigger than I could imagine. There’s nothing too big for Him to overcome. And nothing too small for Him to ignore. Though He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords, He’s also my faithful friend.

He loves me dearly… (by the way, if you’re wondering, He loves you very, very much too!)

Blessed assurance.

True confidence.

My hope in times of need.

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you…

The garden (top view)

Yay! Purple ribbons everywhere!

The floral arch

Beauuuutiful pink roses

Earth Hour

2009-03-29T16:01:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Earth Hour in pitch dark. Nothing on, except for our TV (we were watching Fight Quest). It definitely a good experience, though many people believed that switching their lights off for just one hour makes no difference. It maybe be cliche or even foolish, but we truly believe that my few light bulbs off makes a difference.

Like a good friend of mine said, one baby step at a time.

If everyone thinks that their action (or lack of action) does not bring any difference to the world, then we can start saying farewell to this earth.

Shouldn't we all be good steward to this earth we're blessed with?

Official Earth Hour web site.

One of our TV channel celebrated Earth Hour by halting their programmes. Cool!!

The view of our humble abode in dark.

No to graveyard shift

2009-03-27T11:32:00.019+08:00

Came across an article on the relationship between cancer and night shifts in The Age a few days ago and thought it's worth sharing.

What caught my attention the most is that "The International Agency for Research on Cancer placed shift work in the same category as ultraviolet radiation, anabolic steroids and diesel engine exhaust in terms of cancer risk. The agency's Dr Vincent Cogliano said changes to sleep patterns caused by working nights could lower the body's production of melatonin. "Melatonin has some beneficial effects in preventing some of the steps leading to cancer," he said. "The evidence is really no different than it might be for an industrial chemical.""

Save the Environment... Again??

2009-03-17T10:31:00.012+08:00

After my previous experience of attempting to reduce plastic bag consumption (see: Save the Environment... Not!), I have NOT, am NOT, and will NOT learn my lesson. Stubborn as a mule, I pressed on to be a good steward of what was gifted to us.

So, last weekend, we went to do our grocery shopping. This time, we went to Giant. I brought along two of my eco-friendly green bags. For short, let's call my eco-friendly green bag as greenie.

As we were approaching the entrance, we noticed the guard standing on the left of the entrance. Quickly, I fold my greenies and hid them between my hubby's arm. And like a ninja, we tip-toed our way in.

Unfortunately... The guard spotted us.

>>> Transparent Mode Activating >>>
>>> 21% to Completion >>>

Guard: Excuse me...

>>> 43% to Completion >>>

Guard: Excuse me...

>>> 78% to Completion >>>

Guard: EXCUSE MEEEEEE!!!

>>> Alert!! Transparent Mode Activation Failed >>>

Me: Huh?? Me?? You're calling me?? (pretending blur)
Guard: Yes... those bags, you cannot bring them in.
Me: But we need to use it to put our groceries after we paid for them. We want to reduce plastic consumption and save the environment. (convincing look)
Guard: You cannot bring them in. You can leave them at the counter outside and collect them later.
Me: But we need to use it to put our groceries after we paid for them. We want to reduce plastic consumption and save the environment. (pitiful look)
Guard: I'm sorry... you cannot bring them in.
Me: But we need to use it to put our groceries after we paid for them. We want to reduce plastic consumption and save the environment. (pissed-off look)
Guard: The manager is inside. If he/she sees it, he/she'll get angry and scold all of us...

Ahhhh... I was right... It is really the management's idea to forbid ALL greenies to be carried in. Then, why are they selling greenies anyway?? And all those Save-the-Environment preaching??

Guard: Ok ok... like this, you stuffed your greenies in your handbag. Don't let your greenies be so obvious...
Me: Oh ok (stuffing two large, tough, hard-material, greenies into my handbag)
Guard: Thank you (smile)
Me: Thank you!! (smile, smile, smile)
Guard: Be careful, ok.

Yes, we'll be careful of the manager. But it'll be better if he/she approaches us. Then, I can get my feedback directly to them :)

My greenies, all stuffed in my handbag.

Two fully utilised greenies (n_n)/

I Can Cook!! (Part 2)

2009-03-03T14:34:00.006+08:00

Another proud moment of mine (n_n)/

After several days of overdosed Kylie Kwong + Jamie Oliver + Anthony Bourdain, I came out with my own stuffed-chicken-breast-meat recipe. I do not have an oven, thus, I pan-fried it. It turned out better than I thought.

The recipe... (note: try at your own risk)

The stuffing
- Garlic (lots of them if you like garlics)
- Shallot
- Red onion
- Celery
- A bit of basil leaves
- Sprinkle of oregano
- Salt & black pepper
- Olive oil

The meat
- Breast meat - skin and bones removed. Sprinkle and rub with a bit of salt, black pepper, oregano & basil. Let it marinate for 30 min.

1. Finely chopped all the stuffing ingredients and mix them thoroughly.
2. Use a boning knife and cut open a hold in the breast meat.
3. Insert the stuffing into the breast meat.
4. Seal the opening with a toothpick.
5. Heat pan with olive oil.
6. Pan-fry the meat with medium heat, about 10-12 minutes for each side (depending on the thickness of the meat).

The sauce
- Cherry tomatoes - burst them with your fingers (gross, but fun. Please be careful not to squirt tomatoes juices everywhere in the kitchen)
- Preggo tomato sauce
- Olive oil
- Sugar

1. Heat pan with olive oil.
2. Throw in Preggo tomato sauce and squashed cherry tomatoes.
3. Add sugar to taste.

Voila! Pan-fried, stuffed chicken breast meat!

The stuffing...

Save the Environment... Not!

2009-03-02T12:41:00.008+08:00

We went to Carrefour on the weekend to do some grocery shopping. Fueled up to do our bits to save the environment by reducing plastic bag consumption, we brought along our eco-friendly green bag (which, btw, is maroon in colour).

When suddenly, we were stopped at the entrance...

Guard: Excuse me... (pointing at my green bag)
Me: Oh... this... it's my green bag. (smile)
Guard: I need to seal it. (getting ready to seal my green bag with those little plastic seal)
Me: Seal it?!?!?!?! How am I going to use it to put my groceries when I've pay it?? (smile dying fast)
Guard: .... (thinking hard)
Me: I want to reduce plastic bag consumption. And this is my eco-friendly, green bag. (convincing smile)

Then, all of the sudden, he stuffed my green bag into a PLASTIC BAG and seal the plastic bag.

Guard: Nah... here you go... (handing to me my bag stuffed in a plastic bag)
Me: @_@"" I brought along the green bag so that I do NOT have to use plastic bag. And you're putting it into a plastic bag?
Guard: ... (ignoring me)

Gosh! I was so in shock. No offense to the guard. He's probably doing what he is instructed to do - seal ALL bags (this includes hand bags, notebook bags, paper bags, ECO-FRIENDLY GREEN BAGS, etc.), to prevent thievery / shoplifting. If that is so, then instructions should be more clear. Green bags should be allowed to be carried in for usage.

Oh ya... on the way out, I saw at the counters, they were selling eco-friendly green bags. Save the environment by using these bags? Now, can we do it if they stuff our green bags into plastic bags?

I tried to look for a suggestion/feedback box, but I couldn't find it. And we were running out of time... Nevertheless, I will definitely search for the feedback form and put this down in black and white.

My eco-friendly green bag... nicely stuffed in a plastic bag.

Yummy Cherries

2009-02-27T09:28:00.008+08:00

For XX years of life on earth, I have, at last, know how cherries taste like. Ok ok, I don't count those preserved, sweetened, red-dyed "fruit" on top of black forest cakes as REAL cherry. Thanks to my relatives, I get a chance to savour this delicious fruit!

Cherries are niceeeeeeee!!! Very very nutritious and good for health too (n_n)

It comes in a very very very nice box. Top view of the box.

Side view of the box.

Ta-da!! @_@ Cherries galoreee!!!

My serving at a time... YUMZ...

I Can Cook!!

2009-02-26T09:27:00.015+08:00

Yes!! I can cook. I never really realise it until I got married. It was like a hidden talent. Unexplored skill. Gift bestowed by God. Or, maybe I am just to overwhelmed by the fact that I am actually cooking! Hey, I deserve a little pat on my back, right (n_n)/

Oh yes... I can cook!!

Feast your eyes on some dishes I made.

Stir-fry fish fillet with ginger and spring onion

Stir-fry some unknown vege. It's nice and crunchy. But I still do not know the name of the vege >_<

My mom's potato + chicken recipe